Nice To Meet You, Anyway
by bb315
Summary: "Cause I just found someone special/And that's really something special/If you knew me/Nice to meet you anyway" -Gavin Degraw. A one-shot based off the song: Puck moves to New York on a whim and reconnects with Rachel.


**Nice To Meet You, Anyway**

"So have you run into Rachel yet?" Finn asked. Puck sighed. It was really hard to have a conversation with Hudson lately. Each time they spoke it was a game of 20 questions.

"Fuck Hudson, I've just been here for a week. Besides, you don't just run into someone in New fucking York." Puck was kind of fed up about people asking him about Rachel. Finn, his mom, his sister—besides their fling in high school, he and Rachel didn't even have a significant enough relationship for him to call her as soon as he reached the city. Besides, this was _his_ big move. After his entire life in Lima and then four years in Columbus, Puck wanted to move somewhere big. New York just seemed like a decent option—who cared if Rachel lived here too?

"She could probably show you around or something. I heard she's doing good up there and all." Finn said.

"Gonna ignore the desperation in your voice. Thought you and Quinn were on the fast track to marriage?"

"I'm just wondering how she is. Nobody's really spoken to hear since graduation. She pretty much cut off all ties."

"She's smart. I'm still attached to all of you losers in some way. Anyway, I'm unpacking my shit. Bye." Puck hung up before Finn decided to chat some more. Honestly, Puck already missed the people he left behind in Ohio but it was time for something new.

He didn't have any definite plans, and Puck kind of liked it that way. He was smart enough to at least secure a job before he moved. It was only at a nearby bar, but Puck tended bar during his last 2 years of college. He made decent money and he got to sleep with loads of women—he figured the situation would be the same in the Big Apple. Plus, he was splitting the cost of living with some dude he went to Ohio State with, courtesy of the bulletin boards around campus. He didn't really know the kid, but he seemed normal enough to live with. More importantly, Puck knew he could kick the guy's—shit, maybe he should start calling him by his name—Adam's ass if necessary.

He started work the next day, so he was trying to get the last of the few things he actually brought settled. Adam would be arriving tomorrow too, so Puck at least wanted to get his shit out the way so the kid—Adam—could have space. Puck even left the less shitty room for Adam. Hopefully it would be the beginning of a great living arrangement.

It was evening by the time he finally got everything set up and decided to walk up the block to the pizza place he'd been frequenting most of the week. He hadn't been anywhere to buy any real groceries (did they even have grocery stores in New York?), so he'd been walking up and down the streets buying pizza and beer. He'd been cooped up in the apartment all day, so he decided to sit in the restaurant and eat. Nothing particularly interesting was happening there, but Puck had developed a habit of people watching. He'd picked it up bartending. There was an older couple sitting together bickering about something stupid. The wife looked like she was about to flip out, but then the husband said "I love you" and the wife just smiled.

Puck chuckled at the scene. The man noticed and gave Puck a subtle nod. On the way out, the older man stopped by Puck's table.

"If you don't learn anything else, know that your wife is always right. Just tell her you love her and she'll shut up." He said and met his wife outside.

Puck came to New York to have fun, explore, and to make something of himself. And if he was honest, he was hoping to find a girl who was trying to do the same thing. On his walk home, he could actually make out some stars in the sky. For some reason, that made him think of Rachel. He didn't have her number, but he knew someone who would.

"Sarah, look in Ma's phone book and get Rachel's cell number. And be stealthy about it, I don't need her to get any ideas." Puck asked his sister.

"What's in it for me?" Sarah asked. Teenagers could never just do something.

"One of those purses you're always foaming at the mouth over. Hurry up and do it." Puck demanded.

"A knock off Noah? Your only sister isn't worthy of the real thing? Oh wait, you're barely making any money bartending. I still think New York's a dumb idea."

"You only say that because you miss me. Maybe I'll let you come visit one day."

"I want to come for Christmas!" Sarah exclaimed.

"The fucking number Sarah." Puck said impatiently.

"Geez. 917-234-2509. Are you going to try to screw her?" Sarah asked. Puck hung up on his sister as soon as he saved the number in his phone. So Rachel even changed her number to fit into the city. Figures.

He picked up a six-pack from the corner store on the way back to the apartment and planned on finishing them all as he caught up with Rachel. The girl could talk for hours, and he was pretty sure that hadn't changed in the past four years. But when he got back to the apartment, Adam had arrived early. So Puck decided to be a good roommate and help the kid out. Adam was one of those skinny, hipster dudes with the tight jeans and the non-prescription glasses. He almost reminded Puck of Kurt, which meant he had to ask—

"So dude, are you—you know, gay?" Puck asked.

"Nah. Everyone thinks I am though because of my clothes. I was raised by my mom and two older sisters. And all of them happen to be fashion-obsessed. In summary, like nice clothes _and_ girls." Adam explained.

"Got it. Glad that's clear."

"It's crazy though. Girls will think I'm gay and want to hang out because all girls want a gay friend. Then I surprise them with the not gay and get laid. It's a pretty good system I've got going." Adam explained. His clothes were weird, but Puck decided that Adam was alright by him. They spent the rest of the night drinking the beer Puck bought and trying to figure out if they ever crossed paths at Ohio State.

Puck went to bed feeling happier than he'd felt in a while. New York was kind of an impulse decision, but it was starting to make more and more sense.

A few weeks passed and Puck was falling more and more in love with New York every second. He could see how people visited and never wanted to leave. Work was awesome. Mostly everyone was great to work with, except this one douche bartender who hated Puck from the moment he walked in. But besides Tim, Puck got along fine with the rest of the staff. He played it cool for his first two weeks of work, but by the third week he had to bring a girl home. It was a lousy lay—she was tipsy and he was sober. It was a dumb idea, but she didn't seem like the type to cry rape and his boner didn't care anyway.

He had forgotten all about calling Rachel until Finn reminded him again one night. He mentioned it in the same breath that he mentioned proposing to Quinn.

"Since you're so goddamn concerned, why don't I just give you her number?" Puck asked, looking through his contacts. He could hear Finn protesting even though the phone was away from his ear. But when he got to "R," Rachel's name wasn't there. Wasn't under "B" for Berry either.

"Sorry buddy, looks like I didn't even save it. And I'm not calling my sister to get it back either. That was a hassle to get the first time." Puck said. Finn got off the phone soon after that, and Puck suspected that Finn was contemplating calling Sarah himself for the number.

Being a bartender was fun, but it wasn't making Puck any richer. He started working at a café some afternoons to bring in some extra funds. That job was pretty awesome too because the patrons were mostly older, rich women who tipped very well. He was making it and it made him proud to know that he hadn't had to call his mom to bail him out of any serious mess yet.

By October, Adam had a pretty serious girlfriend. Puck had watched the entire process and the guy had a pretty decent routine. He was actually impressed by the hipster's game. But 4 months in New York didn't soften Puck's heart that much—he was still playing the field. He wasn't even dating, just having casual sex with random girls who came to the bar. And he definitely wasn't trying to settle down with any of them.

In fact, one of the girls kept calling him. He was pretty sure it was the first girl he slept with from the bar, because he'd been pretty good about giving his number out. You'd be surprised at how many times he's had to change his number in the past. Some women become _obsessed_ with his sex skills. But this girl called a few times. She probably tried to leave a voicemail, but his mailbox was full since before he even moved to New York.

One day he was sending a text to his day job about not coming in (too many women buying him drinks= hung over) and accidentally answered the phone when the girl from the bar called in. He was in a shitty mood about having to miss work, so he figured he'd be an asshole and tell the girl to get a fucking life.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Noah Puckerman. Honestly, you'd think I was trying to call the President of the United States trying to get in touch with you." Puck looked back at his phone to see who he was talking to, but of course it was just numbers. The voice was so familiar. The voice was so—

"Rachel."

"Indeed. I cannot believe you've been in New York since June and I'm just finding out. How are you?" Rachel asked.

"Hungover." Puck admitted.

"Completely understand. I was there a few days ago. Listen, I'm calling for your address. I'm having a Halloween costume party with my roommate. Long story short, I think the two of you will hit it off well and it would be great to see you! Oops sorry, too loud." Rachel said. Puck was shocked by 2 things: Rachel being hungover before and Rachel making a long story short. He was intrigued.

"Yeah sure." Puck mumbled his address. He felt like was going to be sick again.

"Well, I hope you feel better Noah. Puck. Are you still going by Puck? Anyway, save my number mister so you won't ignore my calls the next time. Check your mail in the next couple of days for my invite. Talk to you later." Rachel said and hung up. Before, he could barely get a word in because she wouldn't shut up. Now, he could barely get a word in because she was too straightforward? It left him so stunned that he couldn't help but send her a text message.

"You know, I could have had your number a lot sooner if you just sent me a text message. Thought you were some stalker chick." Puck wrote.

"Haha. I'm not a big texter. In case you forgot, I love to talk. But you get some rest. And make sure you drink some Gatorade to rehydrate!" Rachel wrote back. Oddly enough, Rachel being so concise made Puck want to talk to her more. She sounded pretty hot on the phone too. Her voice no longer had that annoying little tinge to it.

Puck was actually stoked to go to her Halloween party. Even though it was on a lame Monday, it was good because he wouldn't be working at the bar. He dressed as Dexter, the serial killer from that Showtime show, and Adam dressed as James Dean. Puck had no idea who that was and could have sworn Adam wore the costume as regular outfit before.

The directions to Rachel's apartment were simple enough. He didn't know if she customized his invitation with exact directions or every invitation, but knowing Rachel she probably did every invitation individually. She obviously lived in a nicer part of the city; the outside of her apartment building made Puck and Adam's apartment look like a dump.

"Who's this girl again?" Adam asked.

"We grew up together." Puck said.

"I thought you said you guys just went to high school together." Adam asked. That was the answer Puck gave when he told people what he was going for Halloween, so he wondered where that "grew up together" part came from.

"Yeah, high school." Puck said, shrugging it off. They got upstairs and could hear music from the stairwell. It sounded like a decent party. _Rachel Berry_ was actually throwing a good party. Puck didn't even have to wonder which apartment it was. Besides the music, the front door looked like the Halloween fairy threw up all over it. Even in the tiny apartment hallway, Rachel had pumpkins and hay set up. There was even one of those talking Frankenstein figurines in the corner. All of the décor was so destracting that it took Puck and Adam a while to actually knock on the door.

"The decorations are kind of cute though. She's probably a cute girl." Adam commented.

"Yeah and aren't you in love with Lynn?" Puck reminded. The door flew open and it took everything for Puck to not drop his jaw. Rachel was gorgeous.

"Noah Puckerman. God, it's been so long!" Rachel exclaimed, hugging him forcefully. Her exclamation made the partygoers look over for a second to see what was going on.

"Sup Berry. I mean, Rachel. And this is my roommate, Adam." Puck introduced. Rachel shook Adam's hand and closed the door behind the two guys.

"There's a costume contest and my roommate's the judge. So Noah, you're Dexter. I love that show. And Adam, you're James Dean. A classic costume, but you pull it off well." Rachel assessed. Rachel turned around to lead them through the crowd and Puck couldn't help but notice her ass. It was like 5 times the size he remembered. Rachel turned around to smile at him and caught him staring.

"I'm Kim Kardashian in a replica of her 3rd wedding dress for Halloween. I needed extra-large butt pads and a super push up to play the part. What do you think?"

"I knew it." Adam said instantly. "And I'm guessing that's your roommate dressed as Kate Middleton."

"Noah, your roommate is awesome! Let's get you guys some drinks and I'll introduce you to everyone!"

Rachel was so excited and it was fucking adorable. And her costume was fucking hot. And if he didn't think about anything else, he was going to be sporting a boner soon. At least he had Dexter's bad ass apron covering him up.

"Beth! Come here and meet my friend from Ohio!" Rachel exclaimed, setting out four plastic shot glasses. The name Beth made the hairs on Puck's skin stand at attention. Rachel didn't realize the implications as she filled them with tequila and slid two over to Puck and Adam.

"Yes babe! Which one is the one that threw slushies on you?" Beth asked. Rachel pointed at Puck, grinning. Beth was kind of cute. Puck could see himself having fun with her, but her name wasn't going to work.

"Beth-Bethany meet Noah Puckerman, Puck for short. Noah, Bethany. And Noah's roommate Adam! C'mon, shots! Bobbing for apples starts in 5 mins."

Bethany was eying Puck, obviously ready for the hookup that Rachel told her would happen. Adam nudged him subtly, obviously amused by the sex eyes Bethany was sending over.

"Noah, I'm a little tipsy and distracted but I want to say that it's amazing to see you after all these years. You're still as handsome as ever! But can we catch up sometime this week? Maybe Wednesday when I'm over the hangover I'm bound to get?"

"Yeah sure." Puck taking a sip of the beer she handed him.

"Great!" she came in closer to whisper in his ear. "Beth will be able to show you around. But preferably to her bedroom cause she hasn't gotten laid in a while."

Besides the name Beth which made him flinch, Puck didn't hear anything else. He had a direct view of Rachel's boobs and the perfume she had on was hypnotizing. Finn would bust on spot if he saw Rachel now. Puck needed to make sure he got a picture with her before the night was over so he could send to Finn. Hopefully Quinn would see it first and flip the fuck out. That was always hilarious.

Rachel was hot and it was clouding Puck's judgment, but he wasn't the type to hover. There was alcohol and other girls besides Beth, so that always turned into a good time. A game of beer pong started up, and Puck had to make New York aware that he was the reigning champ. And Hipster was actually kickass at the game too. Good roommate, good beer pong teammate. Good to know.

He ended up meeting some drunk dudes who loved the same drunken conversation topics: girls and sports. Adam found himself the hipster crowd and Puck was glad.

Bethany came over every so often refilling Puck's drinks and throwing herself at him. He was almost drunk enough to take her up on her offers, but every time someone would call her by her first name and he'd lose all interest. At the same time, it was hard to completely turn down a girl who was throwing herself so desperately at him. Then he got an idea.

"Who are you dressed up as again?"

"Kate Middleton. Princess. Duchess Catherine." Bethany said, touching the tip of Puck's nose with each name. Princess was easy enough to remember.

"So Princess…" Puck started, but out the corner of his eye he saw Rachel full on making out with a guy.

"Berry's dating a black dude?" Puck asked. Although, he didn't know why it would come a shock—one of her dads was black.

"Matthew is one of her co-stars from an old play she did. They had a scene where they had to kiss, so now if either of them are drunk together they start making out because they enjoy kissing one another. Anyway, you were saying?"

"Beth! It's time for you to judge the costumes!" Someone exclaimed and thankfully Bethany was easily distracted and ran off. Rachel popped up from her makeout session and happened to lock eyes with Puck. She looked a little embarrassed, but smiled and straightened her hair.

"You know where bathroom is?" Puck asked the guy he'd been talking football with. He thought his name was Owen.

"Rachel's room is straight back." Owen said. Puck was hoping he'd hear that. He wondered if Rachel's room was as dorky as it used to be. He used the bathroom and before he had time to investigate, a.k.a. snoop around, someone was bamming on the bathroom door. When he stepped back into the living room where the party was, Rachel was tapping a microphone to check if it was on. The crowd groaned audibly.

"Come on Rach, you do karaoke every party!" someone exclaimed. Puck grabbed another beer and took a seat to watch the show. Rachel had a Halloween karaoke playlist and sung every single song with someone. She was still a spotlight hog, so not everything about her was different. Rachel began to make her drunken rounds, and she ended up tripping up over her dress when she got to Puck. Luckily he was sitting, so catching her wasn't a problem. She was still as lightweight as ever in his lap.

"I'm a little embarrassed to be this drunk in front of you. My friends and the rest of the people here are used to it."

"Shouldn't be." Puck said.

"I know. Out of everyone from Lima, you're the only one who wouldn't judge me for not being the same person from high school."  
>"Course not. This place is too awesome to be the same person ever again." Puck said. Rachel's eyes sparkled as if he'd said the magic words.<p>

"Don't blow me off when you start sleeping with Beth, because we were friends first." Rachel said. Puck really wanted to let her know she'd never have to worry about that, because sleeping with Beth wasn't going to happen.

"We weren't really friends before actually."

"Whatever, but we're friends now. You're drinking my liquor for free. That's sharing for adults, so that means we're friends." Rachel said. Puck shrugged. "Say that we're friends or I'll pinch you."

"You're still weird though." Puck commented. Rachel pinched him and it actually hurt. If she wasn't a girl, he'd punch the shit out of her. "Fuck! Fine, we're friends. Unless you pinch me again, what happened to anti-violence and shit?"

"I live in New York, so I've got to have a little edge." Rachel winked and stumbled away.

Puck and Adam left soon after that, since Adam had to work the next morning. It was going on 2 and the party was supposed to be over at 1 anyway. Adam was blubbering random shit on their route home, but as soon as they got into the apartment he launched into a Finn-style question attack.

"So, Rachel's hot. You guys dated, didn't you?"

"For like a week in 10th grade. Nothing serious, didn't even get to touch her boobs." Puck said.

"Bet you want to after tonight cause she's so pretty. Much hotter than her roommate, but she was doable too. Why'd you turn her down?" Adam asked. Puck was sober enough to know what he was about to say, but drunk enough to actually talk about it.

"I had a kid in high school. We gave her up for adoption, but her name is Beth." Puck said. Adam looked torn between inappropriately addressing his shock and giving some lame apology for something he didn't even have control over. Puck stopped him before he started.

"It's nothing I ever like to talk about, but I figured I could give you an honest explanation since I'm drunk and all. And hopefully we'll forget this conversation tomorrow."

"Forgotten."

Wednesday came and Puck picked up a shift at the café. Rachel also had an audition, so they couldn't meet for lunch. He was working at the bar that night so instead of dinner as their alternate plan, Puck suggested Rachel just come hang out at the bar for a few. It was the night the band played and the older crowd came in, but Puck was sure Rachel wouldn't mind.

Talking with her was so easy. He didn't feel like slitting his wrists when she told stories about her life in New York. Rachel Berry had definitely changed and it was for the better.

"Why'd you cut off everyone from McKinley?" Puck asked. He was actually pretty impressed with his multitasking skills. He hadn't missed an order from someone at the bar and he was still able to carry on the conversation with Rachel.

"Sometimes you just need a clean break. I came to New York to push myself to a place I've never been before, geographically and emotionally. I thought when I moved I'd be able to reinvent myself, but I really found myself. It sounds really stupid when I say it like that but—"

"S'ok. I get it."

"But how are they? I guess you still talk to everyone." Rachel asked.

"Not really. Finn's the only one I'm still friends with, of course. And with Finn comes Quinn."

"Ah, that's still going on?" she asked.

"Yeah. They'll probably be engaged soon cause they'd rather be miserable with each other than alone." Puck said. Rachel nodded in agreement.

"Hey, top off this wine glass. And what's going on with your love life? Anyone special?"

"Nope. What about you and Matthew?" Puck asked, filling her wine glass. He wondered how he remembered the kid's name. Rachel blushed.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that. He's the best kisser I know and when we get drunk, we just like to live out a role we once performed together."

"Ahh, roleplaying?" Puck asked. He really wanted to challenge Matthew's title, but figured that probably wouldn't be appropriate.  
>"Shut it Puckerman. And what happened with Beth?" Rachel asked. Puck searched for an answer to give her without bringing up the real reason.<p>

"She, I mean—"

"Bethany is a good girl. Sure she's a little desperate at times, but Beth—" Rachel's face went blank, then her mouth dropped. Puck was wondering when she would remember.

"God, Noah every time I said her name to you I felt something inside of me telling me that it was significant. I feel like such an asshole now. I forgot about your daughter and my adoptive sister, of sorts." Rachel said. She mumbled all sorts of things to herself and Puck watched the amusing scene before him.

"I think I must have said her name to you at least 10 billion times that night. God, how could I forget?"

"Rachel, it's ok. I mean, I don't ball up in a corner every time I hear the name Beth. But I just couldn't hook up with a girl named Beth. Or Shelby, for that matter."

"Hey Puckerman, the band isn't coming in tonight. Set up that karaoke machine." Puck's boss called.

"Be right back." Puck said, but Rachel hopped from her bar stool and followed him.

"You have to do karaoke with me. Just once."

"Hell no."

"I will bug your ass about Bethany everyday for the rest of this year."

"I'm no stranger to changing my number, you know." Puck said.

"I will show up to your job everyday Noah. One song."

"I work here. Hell. No." Puck said seriously. So when he ended up on stage singing _Cruisin'_ by Smokey Robinson with Rachel, he wondered where the hell things went wrong. Of course, everyone in the bar was impressed. Rachel's voice was still flawless and he was always a pretty good singer. Even his boss was impressed, especially with the single women coming up buying drinks just to talk to Puck at the bar.

"Wednesday night is Karaoke Night and you'll open it up every week." His boss commanded. And Puck was fine with that, cause he'd made $75 in tips in 5 minutes after he sung.

"Thank me?" Rachel asked, putting on her coat and scarf. He was almost sad to see her go, but she'd been there for almost 2 hours anyway.

"For forcing me to sing?"

"For forcing you to sing and upping your value at this establishment? Don't worry, I'll wait for it. And I do owe you one. Let's keep in touch, okay Noah? I'm serious."

"Gotcha Berry. I've got your number saved, so I won't ignore you anymore. Be careful."

"You don't have to worry about me. My pinch has brought a man to his knees before." Rachel said and winked before she left. Puck almost wanted to give Finn a call and brag about spending time with Rachel, just to make Finn get worked up. But on the other hand, he wanted to keep their secret friendship to himself. What the fuck was up with that?

They didn't see each other for a few weeks after that. Rachel got the part she auditioned for, and apparently it was a big role so she was putting a lot of prep time into that. She called him to say hi a few times, but they were always quick conversations. The way she went on about the show, Puck was kind of interested in seeing it, but his douche of a boss had him working every night. Ever since he did karaoke with Rachel, it was a fucking hit. He didn't particularly hate opening every night, because he was getting more tips and flirting with more women, but he felt like such a joke singing lame songs on stage. Whatever. Nobody but him and Rachel knew anyway.

Thanksgiving came surprisingly quick. Adam was going home for the holiday and Puck was off work for a few days, so he'd have the house to himself to walk around in his boxers and play video games. He actually ordered a few new games off Amazon just for the occasion. And then Rachel called the Tuesday before.

"Tell me you aren't going to Ohio for Thanksgiving." He could hear a bit of desperation in her voice.

"Nope."

"Perfect. My roommate is going home for the holiday and I refuse to spend Thanksgiving alone. I've got an audition on Friday and I'd miss it if I went home as planned."

"Well, I'm not cooking so—"

"Nonsense! I'll be doing the cooking. You should come Thursday morning too! You can bring your video games or whatever you do to keep yourself entertained and keep me company."

"I have a feeling you're just using me because no one else is around, but if I'm getting free food I'm down." Puck said. He was excited, but _only_ because he'd be getting a great home cooked meal and not because he and Rachel were hanging out.

So Thursday morning, Puck made voyage to Rachel's apartment across town. In one bag, he had all his XBOX equipment. In his other bag, he had slacks and a button down. Rachel called him at seven that morning insisting that he at least bring something nice to wear for dinner. It was too early for him to argue or complain, so he just mumbled agreement and hung up on her.

When Rachel opened up the door, Puck could already smell a turkey in the oven. She extended her arm to the couch, where Puck saw two muffins and a glass of juice sitting on the table.

"I'm concentrating on this recipe, so let me know if you need anything." Rachel said and went back into kitchen. Puck stuffed a whole muffin in his mouth because it smelled so good (and it was) and hooked his XBOX up to the TV. After a while he got so into the game and put his feet on the coffee table, then he realized where he was. He paused the game and turned around to see what Rachel was doing. With his headset off, he could hear her singing softly to herself.

"Something wrong?" Rachel asked without looking up.

"Nope. Just feel like a douche chilling on your couch shouting into my headset while you're slaving in the kitchen. Need any help?"

"No, I've got everything prepped. I'm coming to the couch in a few. Maybe you'll show me how to play?"

"There's no teaching Call of Duty babe, sorry." He replied, getting back into his game. Being in her presence made him feel good though, and that was _not_ good.

Dinner was amazing, not that Puck was surprised. At first, he thought that sitting through Thanksgiving dinner with just him and Rach would be awkward, but it was the complete opposite. The conversation was nonstop as they traded stories about college and reminisced on how lame high school was. He ended up eating way too much food and drinking too much wine.

"We might as well finish the bottle." Rachel said, plopping on the couch next to him with the bottle.

"Won't get an argument from me." Puck said, taking the bottle and pouring even amounts in their glasses. Rachel insisted they watch one of her favorite movies and Puck didn't complain, cause at least he'd have a moment to sleep off his food coma.

"Can you believe this Noah?" Rachel asked. Puck opened his eyes and looked at the television, missing what was going on.

"Huh?"

"No, not the movie. _This_. Living in New York, being friends, and spending Thanksgiving together."

"Pretty sure we covered this while we were eating." Puck reminded. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I'm not that drunk, I know that. But it's still surreal. We're adults now and we've grown up so much. I mean look at you. You're so much more mature and even more handsome than you were in high school." Rachel went on.

"Thanks?"

"This is the part where you give me a complement."

"Shit Rach, you're still hot. Even hotter now, but that's not a surprise." Puck said. She looked relieved, as if she was waiting for him to say that.

"Auditions will prepare you for rejection, so if this freaks you out or is too much for you, please let me know. I'm hoping you'll tell me no for my own good though." Rachel said. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew what was hoping for. Puck was waiting for her to ask a question, so when she crawled onto his lap and started kissing him he was pleasantly surprised. He wrapped his arms around her and the tenseness drifted out her body as she melted into his arms. There were definitely warning alarms going off in Puck's head, but he didn't fucking care. Boning Rachel Berry was a goal he had always wanted to achieve.

At first, Puck wasn't sure of where it was going and something inside was telling him to proceed with caution. So they made out like the old days, except Rachel let his hands roam. She was being handsy herself, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Is this weird?" Rachel asked. He couldn't believe she was still thinking at that moment.

"The only weird thing is that this took so long to happen." Puck said without thinking. He felt Rachel smile against his lips. A trail of clothes later, they ended up having sex in Rachel's bed. Puck figured Rachel'd be flexible, but damn. And the girl was like the Energizer Bunny—she kept going and going and going. Of course she'd be an after-sex cuddler. Usually Puck didn't do that, but it felt natural and that scared the shit out of Puck.

"I can't believe myself." Rachel said, trailing her fingers up and down his chest. Puck wondered when she'd come to her senses.

"We were drunk. Don't stress about it." Puck said, moving to get up. Rachel pushed him back down and got back on top of him.

"You're out of your mind if you think I regret _this_. I regret that I missed out on this amazing sex all along." Rachel said, kissing his lips. Relief flushed through Puck's body and with Rachel in his shirt and on top of him, he couldn't only think of one thing.

"That kid still the best kisser you know?" Puck asked. Rachel grinned.

"Hmm… maybe I'll need to test that out again." She said against his lips. After round two, Puck had worked up an appetite. They decided to untangle themselves from one another and eat again.

"I want you to know that I broke most of my pre-audition rules." Rachel said, cutting turkey for the both of them. "I'm supposed to be isolating myself, abstaining from alcohol and sex, and eating light."

"I bring out the rebel in everyone. But I'm gonna go soon." Puck said. Rachel looked disappointed for the briefest of moments, but she bounced back quickly enough for him to barely notice.

"Yes, this is a huge audition." She said. Puck could tell she was mentally kicking herself for spending the day doing everything but preparing for it.

"What's it for?"

"That's one of my audition rules I can keep. I don't talk about the exact role until I get it or don't get it." Rachel said seriously. After he finished his second helping, he got redressed and packed up his things.

"Your shirt smells good. I don't want to take it off." Rachel whined.

"Keep it. I don't plan to be dressed up again anytime soon." Puck said. Rachel gave him a look, as if she was challenging his statement. "Good luck—or break a leg tomorrow, whatever you're supposed to say to performers that's not bad luck."

"I think it's cute that you know that." Rachel said, pulling him down by his jacket collar to give him a kiss goodbye. "And Noah?"

"Rachel?"

"We can't do this again. I don't want to ruin our friendship." Rachel said, looking just as sad as he felt when she said that.

"Course not. See ya. Let me know how the thing goes." Puck said, walking out the door.

When Rachel had a party the next weekend to celebrate getting the part, Puck noticed that Matthew was nowhere around. They hadn't brought up the Thanksgiving sex since that night, but Puck couldn't help but pull Rachel aside.

"Where's the best kisser you know? Excuse me, the former best kisser." Puck asked. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Don't be a douche." Rachel said, pinching him and walking off. He definitely wanted to celebrate with her, and Rachel's parties actually had the coolest mix of people, but he was just so tired. He was going to leave early, but when he mentioned that to Rachel (who was drunk by that point) she insisted he stayed and she'd make it worth his while. With her giving the universal code for sex, of course he'd stay.

"This has to be the last time." Rachel mumbled sleepily after they had sex. It was going on 4 in the morning.

"That's what you said last time."

"Yeah but we can't have sex when I'm in Europe." Rachel barely got out before she was lightly snoring. Whatever that meant. Puck kissed the side of her forehead—and even in his drunken, post-coital exhaustion he knew how fucked he was cause of the developing feelings he had for Rachel. The next morning he snuck out before Rachel woke and before Beth could catch him. He didn't know how much Rachel told her roommate, but he wasn't trying to be in the middle of anything. He was legit planning on sleeping until 4, so he shot Rachel a quick text before he went off to sleep.

"Probably should lay off the booze babe. You were talkin about going to Europe." Puck wrote and fell right to sleep. When he woke up, he had two missed calls and two text messages. One call/text was from Finn and the other pair was from Rachel.

"Hudson, what's up?" He hadn't talked to Finn in almost two weeks, so it was a good time to catch up with him.

"I should ask you the same thing. Your mom called to check on me yesterday." Finn said. Puck could detect a little attitude in Finn's voice. He didn't know what's up, but Finn sounded so pathetic that he laughed.

"Okay?"

"How come you didn't tell me you and Rachel were hanging out?" Finn asked.

"Slipped my mind. I've seen her a couple of times in a group of friends. Nothing serious Finessa. You sound like a jealous girlfriend." _Lie number one._

"I'm not jealous. But I've been asking you about her since you moved. You could have at least told me how she was."

"Shit Finn, okay! She's fine. The same Rachel we all knew and hated, you're not missing much." _Lie number two._

"Oh. Well geez, you could have a least told me. Is she still hot?"

"She's alright." _Lie number three._ "Anyway, you only called to grill me about Rachel Berry?"

"No." At least that was only Finn's first lie. "So I'm thinking about coming up to the big city in a few weeks. We need a reunion, bro!" And to see Rachel, which is what Puck knew Finn wasn't saying.

"I'll let you know when it's good for me. My weekends coming up are pretty booked. Adam's family is coming up for the next two weekends." _Lie number four._ "My mom and sister are coming up too for a weekend." At least that was the truth.

"Oh. Well, um ok. Just let me know cause I want to come up there before I propose to Quinn. Once I do that you know I'll be trapped into wedding planning." Finn said. Puck rolled his eyes. Finn thought that if he came up here and saw Rachel, they'd fall in love off the bat.

"Sounds good man. Well, I'm just waking up. Let me try to get some shit done before I go into work tonight."

"Cool. Let me know!"

"Sure thing." Puck lied and hung up. He called Rachel next, who was out of breath when she answered.

"What are you doing?"

"Just got out the shower and ran to catch the phone. Now I'm dripping wet, naked with no towel—" She teased.

"Asshole."

"Noah, I never actually told you about the part I got. Although I was drunk, it really _is_ in Europe!" Rachel exclaimed.

"No fucking way! That's awesome!"

"Isn't it? I was already mentally prepared to not get it, since I didn't follow my pre-audition rules. But I got the lead role! We'll be performing in England, Italy, France, and Germany. It's the study abroad trip I never had, but 10 times more awesome!" Puck could tell Rachel was smiling wide, and at that moment all he wanted to do was see her.

"You've never been to my apartment, come over." Puck blurted out.

"I wish I could! I've got a cast meeting today at 6. And after I'm done, you'll be getting ready to go into work. There's so much to talk about. I can't even fathom trying to prepare myself to go abroad for two months." Puck almost dropped his phone.

"Two months?"

"Yes! We're leaving right after New Year's and we'll be back in March." Rachel said. With that news, Puck was relieved that she wouldn't be coming over cause now he was pissed.

"I know your dads are proud." It was the lamest and most random thing to say, but he didn't want to congratulate her anymore.

"They are so excited. In fact, I think they're going to try to come over for the show in Paris. Speaking of parents, both of our parents will be here for the holidays! Bet—I mean, my roommate always goes home for Christmas so my apartment will be free. I'll make another fabulous meal, and although there won't be any post-dinner sex, we'll have a great time!"

"Sounds good." Actually, it sounded like it could be a potential disaster. His mom had psychic powers when it came to women he slept with, not that she'd mind with Rachel.

"Excellent. I'll pass it on to my dads to pass on to your mom. Anyway, get back to what you were doing. I just wanted to call and tell you the good news, since I was too preoccupied getting drunk and screwing you last night."

"See ya Rach." Puck said and hung up. He figured he needed to come clean with himself, especially since he wasn't going to ever tell anyone else this. One—he was pissed that Rachel was going to Europe for two whole months. Two—he was pissed because he was falling, and falling hard, for Rachel Berry. He didn't like not being in control of his emotions, so he knew he had to draw the line. No more sex with Rachel. No matter how sexy she was or how much she tempted him, he wasn't going to do it.

The sex part was easy. Puck was working and Rachel was rehearsing, so they really didn't have much time to see each other. Then their families came into town. Besides the dinner at Rachel's, they barely spoke those couple of days. Puck was busy showing his mom and sister around the city and hitting up all the tourist attractions. He didn't realize how much he missed them until they spent that time together.

So, they couldn't have sex if they didn't see each other but that didn't stop him from thinking about her. Her smile, her laugh—Puck knew things were getting pathetic. He was turning into Finn!

Her rehearsal schedule was intense and Puck knew he may only see her once more before she left. She was free for New Year's Eve, but was going out with her friends and Puck had to work anyway. He wanted to punch a wall when he got her text that night.

"Matt's out with us. He's already recruiting me for a New Year's kiss. Wonder if he's been practicing to take your title?" Rachel wrote.

"He can try, but I think I've got this in the bag." Puck wrote back. He was pissed, but there was no reason for him to be. He and Rachel were nothing serious and nothing official. So when the clock struck 12, Puck made out with one of the girls he worked with. He felt kind of bad for taking advantage of her, because he knew Taylor wanted him. But the possibility of Rachel kissing another guy was worse. Puck knew he had to talk to Rachel—really talk to her—before his balls popped right off.

It happened the night before she left. They'd met earlier in the day to have lunch, and Puck played it cool. He pretended to be happy for her and wished her the best. It was a quick meeting between friends. But he couldn't let her leave with just that. At 11 that night, he called and asked if he could come over. Truthfully, he was already en route anyway.

"I have an early flight." Rachel said. He must have woken her up.

"I know. I'll let you know when I'm outside." Puck said. Rachel must have been waiting by the door, because she pulled him in and jumped on him. The sex was slow and passionate. And if Puck was lame, he'd even equate it to making love. Rachel rested her head on his chest, as usual, running her fingers up and down his skin.

"I like you Noah. But I'm leaving." Rachel whined. Puck hated whining, except from her.

"I know." He knew he should have said more, but he couldn't. Fuck, he was sad.

"I'm gonna miss having sex with you. And your kisses. Hopefully someone won't come along and steal your title, but Matthew certainly didn't win it back so you may be undefeated."

"Duh babe. Once you've been with Puck, you know you've been fucked." Puck said. Rachel laughed hysterically.

"God, I'm going to miss you." Rachel said. Puck kissed the side of her head, still remaining silent. After an awkward moment, Rachel continued.

"I know what we're doing is random and no strings attached, so I want you to know that I won't be offended or hurt if you have other girls in your life. I know you know that, I just—I just felt like I needed to say that. Maybe for myself? I sound like a mumbling idiot right now."

"No I got it. Random, no strings attached. Fuck you when you get back?" Puck said, each word crushing him a little bit.

"So vulgar. Your welcome home sex better be just as amazing as your bon voyage sex. In two months, maybe you'll learn some new tricks too. Oh my gosh stop talking to me, I have to wake up at five!"

Puck hated goodbyes, so he got up as soon as Rachel did, wished her well and left. He hoped she wouldn't question his abruptness too much, but he had to get out of there. He had a prime opportunity to tell her how he felt, but instead he kept quiet. And he knew his pride and fear of expressing how he felt was going to make him lose her in the end. He didn't know what would happen at the end of these two months, but he wasn't going to dwell on it. And he was going to do his best to not have free time to think about her.

He finally gave Finn the green light to come. Even though Finn bitched about Rachel going to Europe (which Puck wanted to tell him to suck it up because he was suffering a lot more), they still had a good time. Puck hung out with his friends a lot more and even went to a hipster art show and a music fest with Adam. He hadn't spoken to Rachel since she left. She sent him a couple of postcards, one of them with the link to a blog she was writing about her experience. He only went on it once because the way it made him feel sucked.

It was the beginning of February when he got the only 21st century communication from Rachel. She sent him a picture message of a random man.

"So far, ur the international kissing champ. All others, including this guy, have failed. Miss u! Hope all is well. Don't write back cuz I'll b tempted 2 keep txting & this is probably a million dollars 2 send! In Paris! Dads will b here soon. Keep checking blog!" Puck figured she was trying to cram everything she ever wanted to say in one text, but he could do without the reminder that she was kissing random men.

"Dave doesn't care that you have your phone out?" Ali, one of the new bartenders asked Puck. Their boss was annoying, but Dave never really got on Puck about much. He was everyone's favorite bartender.

"Dave loves money. I make that for him. Do the same and he'll stop bothering you about stupid shit." Puck advised. She smiled and fist bumped him, and Puck realized how cute she was. That was a good sign. Even better, Ali quit a week later. So when she came in and asked him to hang out one night, he was relieved that if things went wrong he wouldn't still have to work with her. Hanging out with Ali was fun. She was from New York, so she knew everything about everything. She showed Puck around to places he'd never been. He was super attracted to her and they made out and fooled around, but something was preventing him from going all the way with her. Fucking Rachel was preventing him from going all the way. And poor Ali pretended like she didn't realize he was holding back. He ended up feeling like such a jerk that he just went ahead and slept with her. Three days before Rachel was scheduled to return—which was more douchey than just not having sex with her at all.

Ali let him know she'd be coming to the bar to hang out while he worked and that she'd even sing karaoke with him. He felt like that was pretty much code for "I love you and want to have your babies." He'd been feeling shitty about the night before all day and Adam caught him moping in the kitchen that afternoon.

"Grow a pair dude! Just tell Ali you don't want her." Adam said.

"I like her, but..."

"I get it dude. Rachel is hot. And she's got a good head on her shoulders." Adam said knowingly. Puck hadn't come out and actually said that he and Rachel were screwing around, but he guessed it was obvious to the kid he was living with.

"So you've got the karaoke thing going on. Sing some fitting song to Ali. Girls read between the lines with that kind of stuff." Adam suggested, laughing. It was a dorky idea, but it just might work.

All the cards were stacking up in Puck's favor. Some of his "regulars" showed up that evening insisting he do something slow to reflect the gloomy mood outside. Those married cougars... He had to love them.

"Puck, we got a new CD. Try that out tonight." his boss commanded. Puck was about to blow him off until he read the track list.

He felt like a total pansy to know Gavin Degraw. This girl he fooled around with in college always played Gavin Degraw in the background when they were doing their pre-sex homework. _What? He actually did work in school._ Anyway, he kinda liked the whole acoustic version of dude's song, "Nice to Meet You, Anyway." Never in a million years did he think it would apply to him.

"Puck!" Ali exclaimed. She came to the bar entrance and pulled him to her for a kiss.

"Sup?" Puck knew he was screwed by the way she was beaming at him.

"What time do you get off? I was thinking we could-"

"Puckerman, get to work!" his boss yelled. Normally, Puck would ignore Dave but he had a job to do. In more ways than one.

He loaded the disc and chatted with the crowd as usual, as the song pulled up on the screen. His usuals hollered for him as he grabbed a stool and put the mic to his mouth.

_"I don't want to get too close, I don't want to get too close. See this isn't where my head is, if you knew me I'm not like like this. But I just found someone special and that's really something special if you knew me. Nice to meet you, anyway."_

The crowd hooped and hollered, as if he was singing the happiest song ever. Ali was chatting it up at the bar, so it seemed like she wasn't even paying attention to the words. And if she didn't get it from this song, Puck didn't know how he was going to tell her.

_"I believe you're very fine. Still I haven't got the time. Cause I just found someone special and that's really something special if you knew me. Nice to meet you, anyway."_

Ali finally made eye contact with him and smiled. He felt like a dick. Especially since singing the words made him realize how fitting the song was.

"_So before this goes too far, let me tell you what you are. You're amazing, I'm attracted, but I'm terribly distracted. And I'm trying to be verbal, and I'm back into this circle. Cause I just found someone special and that's really something special if you knew me. Nice to meet you, anyway."_

Ali met him at the stage steps when he finished. The whole feelings thing totally gave him a mood swing.

"Way to depress the crowd." Ali said, over the loud instrumental of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

"They told me to do something slow, so they got what they asked for." Puck said. After an awkward pause, Ali spoke.

"I know I'm one of those girls in the song you sung. Am I the amazingly attractive one that you can't be with?" Ali asked. So the song did work. Puck felt like the biggest asshole—but then there was Rachel. Like literally. Sitting a few tables over, watching the scene. He gaped at Ali, trying to find _any_ word to say.

"It's okay Puck. Nice to meet you, anyway." Ali said and kissed his cheek before she headed toward the exit. Puck looked at Rachel's table again, and sure enough it was her. She wasn't supposed to be back for another couple of days. They met each other halfway, conveniently in an area where they could talk.

"How long have you been here?" He asked her.

"So which girl am I?" Rachel asked at the same time. Fuck, so she caught the song too.

"Rachel, look—"

"I think that— no, you finish." Rachel said, both of them cutting each other off again. She was putting him on the spot, so whatever came out was the pure, unadulterated truth.

"I tried to function like myself when you were gone, and eventually I could deal. But I have feelings for your Rach and I'm not sure when it turned into that but they're real." Puck explained. Rachel looked at him as if she was waiting for him to say more.

"I want to be with you Rachel. Only you." Puck said.

"It's not just about the sex?"

"When has it ever been about the sex?" Puck said, having an epiphany.

"It never has for me." Rachel said. "I missed you so much Noah. What time do you get off?"

"Right now." Fuck work. His girl was back in town, and they had a lot of catching up to do. His boss was pissed, but what could you do? They walked hand in hand out the bar and Puck hailed a taxi.

"I don't know what I want to do more: have sex with you or talk to you. Will you be able to concentrate if we do both at the same time?" Rachel asked.

"Babe, the question is will _you_ be able to concentrate."

"Sounds like a challenge Puckerman, and I'm in. After bagging Lima's most eligible bachelor, I think I can take on the world."


End file.
